3 Oakland County men killed, 1 injured in Minnesota plane crash

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a plane crash in a farm field near Houston County Airport in southeastern Minnesota on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. Three people were killed in the crash that was and one person in critical condition according to authorities. (AP Photo/The La Crosse Tribune, Peter Thomson)

Three Oakland County men were killed and another man was injured after their small twin-engine aircraft crashed in a field Friday near a southeastern Minnesota airport.

The Houston County Sheriff’s department identified the victims Saturday at 79-year-old Joel Alan Garrett of Troy, 49-year-old Dale Edwards Garrett of Berkely, and 50-year-old John Paul Bergeron of Birmingham.

Deputies say 61-year-old Joseph Samuel Stevens of Bloomfield was taken to a Wisconsin hospital with severe injuries. His condition was not immediately available.

Authorities told The Associated Press the Piper Pa-23 aircraft was traveling Friday from troy to Minnesota when it crashed in Caledonia, Minn., around 4:30 p.m.

Advertisement

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

A farmer discovered the wreck around 4:30 p.m. CST Friday and notified the Sheriff’s office, according to WQOW-TV, a local ABC affiliate. The farmer did not witness or hear the crash, the news station said.

KTTC, a local NBC affiliate, said Garrett was a prominent real estate developer in Oakland and Macomb Counties. He’s the owner and president of LADD’s, Inc. and also president of Garrett Associates. The news station said his company has developed more than 2,000 residential lots across Metro Detroit.

Check back with The Oakland Press for this developing story.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

About the Author

Ryan Felton is a staff writer at The Oakland Press who covers Rochester, Rochester Hills, Oakland Township, transportation and technology. Blogging about Detroit at detroit.jalopnik.com. Reach the author at ryan.felton@oakpress.com
or follow Ryan on Twitter: @ryanfelton13.